The Reality of Dreams
by ProfessorLuna
Summary: Harry and Ron wake up in St Mungo's three years after the Battle of Hogwarts to find no-one beside them. Can they show the power of true love?
1. The Everlasting Past

_**Summary: Harry and Ron wake up in St Mungos three years after the Battle of Hogwarts to find no-one beside them. Can they show the power of true love?  
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_**Flashback (Three Years Ago)**_

_Harry sat by the dining table at the Burrow on his own after another sleepless night, looking at the Weasley's unique clock to see that his own name had been added to the faces which gave him a great sense of affection to the Weasley's. However negative waves swept through him when he saw Fred's name with the title "gone". He glanced in the small mirror beside it to see the reflection of Ginny._

_Ginny said "we all miss him too, but don't let blame yourself Harry," as if reading his mind with an unusually stern expression on her face. With that Harry dozed to sleep, his dreams full of manes of red hair._

_Harry woke up the next morning to find his head resting against the dining table only to be woken up by bickering from the stairs._

"_Oh what a surprise," muttered Harry to Ginny as he turned round to see Ron and Hermione and then lazily flicked his wand to pull back two chairs at the dining table beside him._

"_There's a letter for you three," gestured Mrs Weasley at the "Golden Trio". Harry opened it to find a letter from the new headmistress, his old Transfiguration teacher and now headmistress Professor McGonagall. _

_Dear Harry, Ron and Hermione, (Harry registered the use of their first names)_

_I wish to inform you that we would like your services in reconstructing Hogwarts School as well as notifying any members of friend and families who may assist you._

_Furthermore, the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley, would like you to fill some positions in the Auror Department without having to take your NEWT examinations, although of course Ms Granger will probably think otherwise. (Smirks arose on Harry and Ron's faces)_

_Yours Sincerely_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_The trio sat silently with expressionless faces for what seemed like a long time until Hermione spoke up._

"_I think we should complete our owls first, don't you think."_

"_Just because you can get an "O" in all the exams with a blindfold on doesn't mean we can," replied Ron._

"_Oh shut up Ronald," Hermione said blushing._

_At this point all the Weasleys had gathered at the dining table all sipping Mrs Weasley's onion soup. _

"_We should all floo in after breakfast," Bill voiced to murmurs of consent._

_At precisely 10am a fortnight after the battle, the whole family flooed in to find Professor McGonagall waiting there._

"_Harry and Ron, you can take charge of the West Tower aided by Professor Slughorn and the rest of you can come with me to convene in the Great Hall."_

"_What about Hermione?" blurted out Ron with great anxiety. _

"_There will be a job with her specifically in mind," said Professor McGonagall with a Dumbledore-esc twinkle in her eye._

_Harry and Ron sauntered to the West Tower with Ron looking visibly disgruntled._

"_Look Ron you don't always need to stick to her like superglue you know."_

"_What the bloody hell is superglue?" said Ron as they almost reached the owlery._

"_A kind of muggle Spellotape," replied Harry._

_Harry and Ron continued up the dilapidated staircase having to occasionally skip a step to avoid falling before reaching the top to be greeted by a portly Professor Slughorn._

"_Harry my boy! And Rupert is it? Harry felt Ron's frustration emanating off him._

"_So Professor, are we doing the staircase or roof first?"_

"_Er, I think the roof first with enchantments of course Harry" responded Slughorn in a strangely robotic voice undetected by either Harry or Ron._

"_Protego totalum, salvio hexia, cave iminicum, protego horribilis, muffliato" muttered Harry and Ron _

_When two audible voices exclaimed, "Deprimo!" leading to the owlery floor collapsing._


	2. The Pain of Reality

"Mr Potter, Mr Potter?" enquired the aging healer peering over Harry with hope and nervousness.

"Ginny, Ron, Hermione?" muttered Harry barely moving his lips.

The healer couldn't resist but exclaim in a throaty voice "at last!"

"What happened to me?" asked Harry moderately attentively and his eyelids now slightly ajar.

"You and Mr Weasley (pointing a crooked finger to Harry's red-headed best friend a broom's length to the left of Harry's bed) have been in a coma for three years after falling from a substantial height within Hogwarts School. Mr Weasley awoke three days ago, but we kept him in an unconscious state so you could wake up at the same time. It's a miracle you survived," said the healer with little comfort in his voice.

"Where the hell is everyone?" probed Harry unaware of his rude tone as the healer began to awaken Ron.

"Wait until you and Mr Weasley has awoken and eaten then questions can be asked" said the healer calmly.

"Something's amiss," thought Harry amidst a wave of negative emotions as he placed his round rimmed glasses which were on the bedside table beside him to the bridge of his nose. For the first time in three years the "boy who lived" was able to see the world around him. Harry looked at the clock beside him which read "6:36 AM" and below it "SAT 4TH AUGUST". He found his and Ron's trunks and wands beside their beds with their brooms on top of them which only heightened Harry's anxiety.

Flexing and shifting his limbs slowly, he began to envisage what news awaited him as well as his future. After propping himself up onto the bed he bent down to unlock his trunk and opened it to reveal a lot of neatly folded clothing, but hidden within was his father's Invisibility Cloak, the Marauder's Map which revealed the map of Hogwarts and the photo album given to him by Hagrid with added photos of himself and Ginny. But before he could ponder any further he heard a recognisable voice.

"Harry!" voiced Ron loudly and thankfully, who unlike Harry leapt up to sit on his bed without thinking and ruffled up his hair slightly.

"Let's eat first," said Harry abruptly as he knew Ron would start violently expressing his thoughts at a lack of Weasleys or Hermione.

Only the tinkling of cutlery and plates was breaking the eternal silence between the two companions as they also occasionally cast furtive looks at each other. Meanwhile the healer was pacing up and down the room at a surprisingly brisk pace wearing an edgy expression.

"Have you got the Daily Prophet anywhere?" gurgled Ron to the healer through his soup which resulted in a skewed expression from Harry.

"Here, Mr Weasley,"responded the healer straightening the newspaper of its creases and giving it to Ron with slight hesitation which didn't go unnoticed by either patient.

"WHAT THE HELL!" bellowed Ron so loud that it felt as if there was tectonic activity beneath his bed.

"Are you ok Ron?" asked Harry looking visibly alarmed.

"I AM NOT OK!" Ron yelled in the same amplitude which this time caused the healer to give him a nasty look. Ron was shaking as he handed over the paper to Harry and then resorted to taking his anger out on his food as he prodded his fork into his plate so firmly that it shattered and was it not for the tray, the plate's contents of an all English breakfast would be oozing on to the mattress.

_**TWO TWOSOMES TO TIE THE KNOT**_

_Two of the heroes from the Battle of Hogwarts three years ago, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley, are to be married at Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry to their respective partners' Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum and Dean Thomas on the 11__th__ August. _"11th August is Ginny's birthday," thought Harry through gritted teeth. _This follows the tragic revelation released by St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries 11 months ago that the heroes' former partners would not emerge from their comas sustained just after the Battle of Hogwarts. See more-_

Harry didn't care to see what followed and proceeded to toss the newspaper viciously out of the ward whilst still sitting on his bed onto the corridor causing a gasp to arise from the healer.

"Would you like me to inform the Weasleys of your awakening?" asked the healer rather tentatively to the two fuming patients.

"ABSOLUTELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY NOT!" blasted Harry, pushing away his tray onto the bedside table in disgust.

"Now where are the Weasleys?" spat out Harry even though it implied in the article that they had lost hope, Harry still couldn't fathom such a situation.

"They left after it became clear that you would never wake up so we told them they were only wasting their time. Apparently we were wrong," answered the healer with patience.

"Ron we need to leave as soon as possible to avoid detection from reporters," said Harry in a more measured voice, before slumping back into his bed with a look of dismay intertwined with a look of determination. "This _wedding's_ only one week away," added Harry with a grimace.

"Well Mr Potter I'm afraid you can't apparate yet as it is not advised to use such energy expending magic for at least 24 hours after waking up from a coma. But you could use the Floo network in the medical staffroom only a few rooms away from here" requested the healer gently, interrupting Harry's thoughts.

"Where do we go? The Burrow?" asked Ron hopefully.

"No, Grimmauld Place," replied Harry curtly.

Harry and Ron changed into their muggle attire which was in their trunks and followed the healer to the fireplace. The duo thanked the healer for his services which was returned with a bow and both a dropped handful of Floo powder into the fireplace and said unmistakeably, "Grimmauld Place!"

Harry and Ron came out of the fire to find a red-headed figure sitting at the dining room table.


End file.
